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Anyone can become a victim of fraudsters, even at first glance, not suspecting that they are involved in a scam. For some reason, many think that this fate will bypass them, that they are psychologically resilient and will not fall for the tricks of fraudsters. It is believed that only weak-willed people become such victims, but this is not true. Fraudsters come up with various schemes, using psychological methods and finding weak spots in the victim.
Psychology of Fraud Victims
With a large amount of psychological knowledge, fraudsters use the method of social engineering to lure the victim. Social engineering is a method that allows, through research and communication, to find weak spots in people's character and behavior and skillfully manipulate them, exerting pressure on their weaknesses. Often, due to loss of vigilance or inattention, people trust fraudsters without even realizing it:
- blindly believe what they are told, especially by new acquaintances;
- carelessly click on all the links sent to them, which are phishing;
- make advance payments for goods without verifying information about the seller.
Many people imagine fraudsters as those who go door-to-door deceiving lonely people, pensioners, and disabled individuals, but in the modern world, it has a larger scale. With the presence of social networks and artificial intelligence, fraudsters can create various deception schemes.
Why People Trust Fraudsters
In most cases, why people trust fraudsters turns out to be because the scammers study the victim in advance and act on them with psychological methods. For example, if someone dreams of making quick money online, the fraudster, in the process of communication, finds an approach to the person, offering them a job with easy earnings. They also offer to participate in investing funds to increase income through trading, while proving their competence and the real possibilities of achieving this to the victim.
Being in a desperate situation with a lack of funds, a person is prone to trust someone who gave hope and promised help, especially when there is a belief in quick and high income. The desire to solve their problems here and now and also find a reliable person makes people sometimes defenseless, and fraudsters skillfully take advantage of this.
How to Protect Loved Ones from Fraudsters
If fraudsters engage in deception by meeting people or coming to their homes, certain rules should be followed:
- do not open doors and let strangers into the house;
- do not engage in conversations with strangers on the street about yourself and your life;
- when employees of the police, medical institutions, and others come to the house, always demand to see their documents;
- if suspicions arise, it is necessary to call the police.
Often, scammers unfold their fraudulent schemes over the phone, and there are several signs that can help identify who is on the other end:
the call is made from an unknown number, and the scammer introduces themselves as a bank, police, or social services employee. If they pretend to be a police representative, the conversation will be about suspicious actions on the card, and they may demand card information. Do not respond, as bank representatives do not require such information.
Typical Signs of Fraud Victims
Psychologists deal with the question of what type of people is susceptible to fraudulent actions. Therefore, they have determined the signs of people who have become victims of fraudsters.
Guidable people are a type that allows themselves to be convinced of the idea of voluntary cooperation. In most cases, such people are always looking for easy solutions to problematic issues but do not want to make efforts. They mostly dream of shifting responsibility and execution to others.
Specialists also believe that people who are easily convinced of their special destiny on the planet become easy victims of fraudsters. Thus, they do not notice the deception. Easily persuaded, believing that everything that is done is necessary to achieve the goal.
People with a high degree of vanity and confidence are also an easy target for fraudsters. They use the vanity and pride of these people, skillfully manipulating them.
Psychology of Trusting Fraudsters
Lack of life experience in young people and children allows fraudsters, taking advantage of the situation, to instill the necessary information and make the victim do what fits into their plans.
There are no specific standards for determining the type of people who fall victim to a scammer's deception. The psychology of trusting fraudsters does not depend on:
- type of activity;
- profession;
- age;
- types.
The main signs define personalities with a high level of empathy, sensitivity, compassion, who trust emotions, are easily wounded, and sympathize with others' grief.
Why People Fall for Tricks
People wonder why they fall for the tricks of fraudsters, and the answer is simple. Because they are very pleasant people to communicate with, they have charm, which allows them to quickly captivate people. Thus, the victim does not even realize that they are being drawn into fraudulent networks.